


On Second Thought

by 3x3



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, POV Second Person, hinata has a tan line and naegi is very gay yeah that's it that's the plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:20:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25955113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3x3/pseuds/3x3
Summary: Distance makes the heart grow fonder. That’s the saying, isn’t it? Well, your heart has always been painfully fond, but looking at him now after a month apart, you can’t exactly say the sentiment is entirely unfounded.Sometimes it’s hard to keep a balance of life.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Naegi Makoto
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48





	On Second Thought

**Author's Note:**

> i know i know i know kamuegi week is coming up but this idea has been stuck in my head a good while before kamuegi week happened so i want it to be its own separate thing.  
> i _do_ have stories written for kamuegi week dw. yes stories multiple as in more than one. they are all pretty short but all fun to write in different ways.  
> so uh, keep an eye out if you'd like i guess?

Truth to be told, you’re not entirely sure how to handle the fact that Hinata- _kun_ apparently has a tan line now.

You’re sure that he didn’t have one when you saw him a month ago at the LOFT located at a 15-minute walk distance away from your school. Yet now it is indeed a thing. A very Prominent, Unavoidable Thing.

You don’t even notice at first. You’re just going in for your usual refills, because you are often prone to dropping your pens, thus, cutting off the ink flow with the impact. ( _You’re a catastrophe upon writing utensils._ remarks your sister Komaru.)

Upon seeing your entrance, Hinata- _kun_ smiles and waves, and- _oh_. Now that you’ve finally caught a clear view of him, you can see that Hinata- _kun_ looks tanner than you remember, and you _can_ hypothetically blame it on lighting, maybe, but the clean borders of different colored flesh cutting off on Hinata- _kun_ ’s right bicep from where his sleeve rides up from his wave is undeniably present.

And it startles you so much that you almost walk into a display shelf.

Hinata- _kun_ laughs at that, eyes crinkling into twin crescents. "You really should pay attention to where you're going, Naegi." He calls, leaning over the counter, and you splutter nonsensically.

It’s not that you’ve never noticed how _attractive_ Hinata- _kun_ is. (You have functional eyes, after all. He is _ideal_ , with a tall build and strong shoulders. His stunning beam blinds you on a regular basis.) It’s that through the familiarity between you, you’ve perfected the art of looking at Hinata- _kun_ without being rendered completely useless. Mostly. Or maybe not as much as you thought, because look at you now, shaken to the core by an innocent strip of skin on his arm.

And you know how it came to be too- you’ve read his texts, the ones telling you that he’s going to visit his grandparents in Kyushu for a few weeks. ( _You know, helping out in the fields, tend to the crops a bit and all that._ ) _Kyushu_ , of course, _of course._ That explains the tan very well, and you should've been prepared. In fact, you remember thinking to yourself, _Oh, Hinata-_ kun _is going to Kyushu for a while. I bet he's gonna come back with a tan._ You thought of it. It registered in your brain. That should be enough, right? _Wrong._

The biggest problem here is that you weren't aware of Hinata- _kun_ 's full effect on you. It's one thing to muse to yourself with a smile at night when you see his LINE message on your phone, and entirely another to see him in person. And maybe parts of the shock is amplified by the time apart. You did miss him. You missed him a lot. You catch his eyes across the racks, and he shoots you another potentially destructive smile. Your heart swells and you really hope it doesn't just burst out your chest and splatter over the floor. Then Hinata- _kun_ would have to mop it up, and you know he fusses about cleaning enough as he does. It would be bad to trouble him.

And also, he’d probably be upset to see his boyfriend’s cardiovascular organ spilled all over the place, which would be bad, because you specifically made a promise to always make him happy.

_Keep it together._ You tell yourself. And you more or less manage to keep it together, you think. Your visit goes by smoothly, if you disregard how you stare a little too much at the cash register, so much that he calls out to you in concern.

“Are you feeling alright?” Hinata- _kun_ asks, frowning, and you snap back into focus from where you’re watching his tan line disappearing and reappearing from his sleeve as he is putting the refills under the scanner. “You look distracted.”  
“Oh! Um.” You pull a blank. How would you put this without completely embarrassing yourself? _I got lost in the ripples of your biceps. By the way do you ever change clothes because somehow the shirt you’re wearing right now perfectly matches up with the one you wore to your grandparents? I sort of missed seeing you a lot more than I thought I would and seeing you now is giving me quite the shock and I’m not sure how to handle it but ogle at the physical indications of your time away._ “You have a tan line.”

“Wait, really?” he asks, lowering his head. He peels back his sleeve to get a better look and _oh that’s bad it’s bad it’s very bad to your health._ “Huh. You’re right. I _do_ have a tan line.”

And you are so sure that you are on the verge of saying something stupid like _can I touch it?_ So you bite down on your tongue. Hard.

You hold that back and manage to save face.

“I’m really glad to see you back.” You offer meekly as you hand over the money to him.

He takes it, your eyes trail his movements.

These last few weeks, a different cashier did your checkouts. She had a pleasant smile and a soft voice, and she had the tendency to count the coins by putting them down piece by piece and muttering to herself. She was fine, but she was not Hinata- _kun_.

Hinata- _kun_ is very busy. The time he _isn’t_ taking classes at school, he is either studying in the library or working part time jobs. He is not from a wealthy family, so this is what he must do to make ends meet. You never get much time to spend with him, but he tries making time for you anyway. _I made a commitment to this relationship._ He said, and at that time, your chest was so tight. He was holding your hand, and your fingers burned at the contact. Despite that, you always want him to take more care of himself, to rest, because the circles under his eyes make your heart ache.

This trip to Kyushu wasn’t unwarranted. It was due to Hinata- _kun_ collapsing on campus due to overexertion. _Rest._ You asked of him, and he did not put up a fight.

You asked this of him, so you don’t think you should complain about missing him. _But you did. You did, you did, you did._ You keep it to yourself, but your mind is playing a broken record in your head. _I missed you. I missed you. I missed you._

Hinata- _kun_ gives you the receipt, and you tuck it in your wallet.

“I’m sorry we didn’t get to spend time together after I’m back.” Hinata- _kun_ says.

He _is_ always busy.

You start to respond. “It’s oka-”

“It’s _not_ okay.”

You blink at him, surprised.

He looks a little red in the face as he fiddles with his hands. “I’ve never really apologized, I realized. I’m sorry for worrying you. And I know this timing is shitty because I’m literally at work right now- I’ll say it again, I promise, at a better time- but I really want you to know that.”

You feel a little tongue-tied. It really has been too long since you last spoke with Hinata- _kun_ , but then again, you’ve never been good at coming up with articulate responses when he’s looking at you so earnestly. “Ah. I… forgive you?” You are dumbfounded, and your palms are starting to sweat.

“I’m kind of rambling now, aren’t I? Shit. Uh, it’s fine, there’s no line right now. I just really want to talk to you. I missed you a lot.”

“Oh.” You’re most definitely blushing now. There’s heat under your cheeks and blood roaring in your ears. His words unleash your dam. “I missed you a lot too.” You feel lighter, finally ridding of the baggage. You say it in a mostly neutral tone, so you’re sure Hinata- _kun_ doesn’t understand how much the words mean to you. “I missed you.” You say again, just for good measure. And _darn_ , it isn’t winter, because a scarf would be awfully convenient now to hide your all too flustered face. The only consolation is that Hinata- _kun_ is rivaling you at the whole blushing business.

“I also kind of really want to hug you now.”

You sort of wish he didn’t bring it up, because now you do too, and your arms feel itchy and all too empty all of a sudden.

“Um. I’m not sure that’s a great idea.” You stutter. You’re in public, and not just anywhere, but Hinata- _kun_ ’s _workplace,_ during his _work hours._ “But if you’re free this Saturday...”

_Stupid thing to say._ Hinata- _kun_ is busy. You know this. You’re setting yourself up for disappointment-

“I’m free.” Hinata- _kun_ cuts right through your spiraling thoughts. “I’m free this Saturday.”

Unadulterated delight surges through your circulatory system. If anyone were to see your face right now- thankfully, it’s only Hinata- _kun_ , and you’ve already signed up to share all your less than flattering moments with him.

“That’s great! I’m glad you’re giving yourself more time to breathe.” And you try very hard not to feel guilty for taking up his off-time.

But Hinata- _kun_ isn’t quite finished yet.

“I’m free next Saturday too.” he continues. “I’ve freed up all my Saturdays because as good as it was to see my grandparents again, I’d really like to not end up in the hospital from now on. The intern nurse had this strange obsession with syringes.” he shudders, and you let loose a tiny snort. You’re so relieved, so euphoric, so charmed.

The brilliant smile you receive in return takes your breath away. “Saturday, yes?” he asks for confirmation.

On second thought, you kind of really want to hug him now, too.

You brave another step.

“You get off in 20 minutes, right?”

**Author's Note:**

> you can find more of my writing on my [writing blog](https://aechteaseawb.tumblr.com/)  
> and [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IQcF73Pafo4I5xlYEAa3070o1fnovmp-Tl_JK-jdQ-M/edit?usp=sharing) are the notes of this story


End file.
